People of the Passage
September 2024

Photo: Picture of Wayne Harrett on front page take by Greg Cole Photography, supplied by Cindy Harrett

by Gail Haarsma — Based in an unassuming house on Shore Road in Eastern Passage, 105.9 Seaside FM (Seaside FM or “Seaside”) started more than 25 years ago with a dream. It was the passion project of the station’s first General Manager and Founder, Wayne Harrett, after he discovered his love for radio at a very early age. 

“Wayne did not have a normal broadcast voice, with a speech impediment and cleft pallet. He was turned down for radio jobs, volunteering in television for six years as a camera operator and at a university radio station,” says Cindy Harrett, Wayne’s sister, Seaside’s Board of Director. “He realized the only way to get into radio full-time was to start his own station.”

In the meantime, he also worked as a teaching assistant and carpooled with a teacher, Debbie Dunham, who listened to his passionate talks about starting a radio station. Wayne was positive a local station would work, would grow and would become a corner stone in the community. 

After many months and discussions, Ms. Dunham told Wayne her husband Rick would finance “the vision” of old-fashioned radio coming from the Passage, and Seaside FM was born.

In 1998, the station applied for a Special Events 10-day license from the Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to broadcast the Eastern Passage Cow Bay Summer Carnival. This broadened to include permission to broadcast a 20-day special “Christmas from the Passage” in December. This pattern of broadcasts continued on for several years.

Quickly becoming the “Voice of Eastern Passage”, Seaside progressed from its modest start broadcasting with 5 watts out of the back room of Wayne Harrett’s mobile home to eventually requesting a full-time license. The CRTC granted the full-time license on August 5, 2002, after the station met all stringent requirements for an easy listening, mature audience-focused station. 

“You have a tea coming up. We’ll let the listeners know. A bake sale at the church. We’re getting the word out,” says Sandy Buchan, current station General Manager and Programming Director (GM). “We have real people and live voices almost every show. Seaside is the last bastion of easy, adult and contemporary listening. Our demographic is those 50 to 80 and beyond who have made Seaside part of their daily lives.”

Seaside moved from the mobile home location to the Passage’s local long-gone monastery and eventually into the house where it currently resides overlooking Fisherman’s Cove. 

“Wayne was special. He had the attitude, ‘I can do this. It will happen.’ And we all believed him,” says GM Buchan. He notes those currently at the station, a number of whom worked with Wayne as volunteers for many years before his passing in 2021, are focused on carrying his dream forward.

The Beacon asked volunteers and staff for some highlights and funny stories from its 22-year history. One story they laughed about was Wayne’s brilliant idea of raising funds for Haiti after the 2010 earthquake by stopping traffic on Shore Road and asking for donations. While the station raised a lot of money for the cause, it backed up traffic all the way down Main Road, making the home commute a challenge.

Another story comes from Paul Kennedy, broadcaster with 105.9 Seaside FM from the beginning, who shares a wide array of music every weekend with Seaside listeners. “Back in 2004, Seaside FM was fortunate to be nominated for East Coast Music Awards’ Radio station of the year, right in there with the bigger corporate stations including CBC radio. Our General Manager Wayne Harrett thought it would be a good idea to attend the East Coast Music Awards, so he, his sister Cindy and I headed to St. John’s, Newfoundland.”

Newfoundland hospitality was at the forefront from cab drivers offering to give scenic tours of the city for free,  to VOWR radio (celebrating 100 years on the air in 2024) asking the Seasiders to cohost an hour of their Friday morning show.

“We were honoured to accept Ron Ledrew’s invite to appear on his Church-run, non-profit station…I’m not sure how many listeners that morning were overly impressed with our pronunciations of some of the small towns mentioned in their public service announcements. At least they didn’t lose their broadcast license, as far as I know,” says Kennedy.

Kennedy also remembers Wayne’s dedication to Seaside FM, even when away, he was lining up reports back to the station and scheduling interviews, returning one day early so he could cover Kennedy’s Sunday afternoon program.

“That interesting weekend it was one of a handful of times in 19 years when Wayne was actually away from the station.”

Because of Wayne’s initial dedication to being on-line 24/7, 365 days a year, Seaside has a series of back-up systems. It is set up to broadcast through just about anything, including the tower being hit by lightening around 600 times a year. “Our back ups have back ups,” says GM Buchan.

“I remember Wayne doing 10 to 12 hours straight on-air live during storms like hurricane Juan and significant events such as the mass murder a few years ago,” says Cindy Harrett. “He wanted to keep people up-to-date and let them know someone was concerned for them.”

Seaside FM runs on the dedication of 36 and growing number of volunteers, including broadcasters, the hard work of its three paid staff, and the generosity of community supporters, known as the “Seasiders”. It raises funds through advertising, 50/50 draws, donations and other fund-raising events. 

“We are very appreciative of all the people who listen to us…they are the stars. We just send out our music, news and segments on the air waves and the only way we know people are listening is because they support us. We view our listeners as our friends,” says Cindy

Harrett. 

Seaside FM visionary Wayne Harrett put Eastern Passage on the map as the communications hub for local community information, events and great music, attracting listeners throughout Nova Scotia and internationally via the internet. To recognize Wayne’s tremendous contribution, the “Wayne Harrett Media Scholarship” has been set up and awarded annually to deserving students working towards a career in the broadcast industry. 

Seaside FM celebrated its 22nd anniversary being on the air full-time in August and provides live programming, local news and sports, weather updates, public service announcements and live emergency broadcasting. It supports East Coast talent and offers local businesses affordable rates for advertising their products and services. Tune in to 105.9 on your FM dial and you won’t be disappointed.